Yes, the libraries are closed but so far they have left their WiFi on.
Bob and Denise had told us about a nice campground in Manti Lasal National Forest. They even told us what site to choose! So when we were done with the internet in Blanding, we did the short drive to Devil's Canyon Campground.
Scenery along the way.
Sherman, parked up in site #36.
We don't normally pay for a campsite, especially when there are so many free ones available. But this campground was only $10 USD ($14 CAD) per night, and when they supply you with a nice paved site and a picnic table and fire ring and shade, somewhere to leave your trash, along with places to go hiking and biking... then it's not a bad deal!
Out on the trail.
Looking down at Devil's Canyon.
Pretty flowers.
We did a 3 mile (5 km) hike and then went back to Sherman for some lunch. Then after lunch, we set off on the bikes. The main forest service road that heads up the mountain doesn't give you much of a break to rest! Just a steady uphill... but what a good workout in the fresh air.
What a pretty area. It took us 45 minutes of hard work to ride 3 miles (5 kms) uphill, and then only 20 minutes to mostly coast back down.
Back at Sherman, I took my firewood collecting bag and walked to all of the nearby sites. They were all unoccupied at that particular time (although we had some noisy generator neighbors later!) and so I picked up any firewood that had been left behind so that we could have our own campfire in the evening.
I built ourselves a nice fire!
Enjoying the end of a great day!
Today, we are taking the scenic route to Moab, but we have no intention of staying in this busy tourist town. We do plan on visiting friend Renate who is working at the KOA there.
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And in Canada...
Hi Kevin and Ruth, we found your blog in march 2018 an answered email from you convinced us to take a trip in Dec to mexico. we ended up in Roca Azul in Jocotepec for a month, and loved the trip. We've been daily readers ever since.
ReplyDeleteBeing somewhat temperature sensitive I'm always wondering what the temperature is where you are at. Sometimes it's just a matter of checking the weather of the local city but other times your at a different elevation than a nearby city and it doesn't reflect the temperature in the mountains for instance. I would love to see the temperatures at these different locations you are at. It would give us info for our own travel plans.
Thanks, Bill and Marylou
Hi there Bill and Marylou, thank you for taking time to comment and to let us know that because of us you made the trip down to Mexico. Roca Azul is certainly a good place to start and we are glad that you enjoyed your month there.
DeleteKevin tries to remember to put the temperature into the blog each day but sometimes he does forget. We will try to remember to this everyday but we can't make any promises. Just so that you have an idea the temperature that day up at the Devil's Canyon was about 79F (26C) with no humidity.
Now you're seeing our beautiful Western skies! We live in Colorado; the mountains and the sky change every single day.
ReplyDeleteHow are you finding these free sites? We can use them, now that you've posted them...but I'm wondering how you're doing your research. Thanks so much for explaining.
Your beautiful Western skies are much like the ones we would see in Saskatchewan and we really love those skies, except that Saskatchewan doesn't have mountains! ;-)
DeleteThis particular site wasn't free, it cost us $10 for the night but had we gone a little further up the road we could have found a free site no problem. A couple of the apps that Kevin uses are iOverlander and Ultimate Campgrounds. Ultimate Campgrounds does have a small cost involved but iOverlander is free. Also just about any BLM and National Forest area has free dispersed camping but there may also be some organised campgrounds that may or may not be free within those areas, like the one above. Kevin always tries to do the research beforehand when we have available internet to make sure that the roads will able to accommodate Sherman using either Google street view or Google satellite view and also to read the reviews. I hope this helps you out.
Glad you got to check out the La Sal Mtns. It's very pretty up there with the quaking aspens and should of been a lot cooler as one can drive/ride over 10,000ft(Geiser pass). Years ago I got to explore that area quite a bit with my late brother when I had a Bronco II 4x4 and came into the area via forest service roads from Colorado and then down some trails into Moab. I also did the White Rim Trail(not for the faint of heart)in Canyonlands NP. on a solo trip. The camp area at White Crack Campground was on the edge of a sheer cliff that overlooked the confluence of the Green and Colorado rivers area, Canyonlands below, and the La Sal Mtns with their snow caps on the horizon. I was there by myself, with the Bighorn Sheep, and small critters. I still remember the sunset of many colors, and watching the Swifts as they rode the air currents that raged up the cliffs. Like little jets as they zoomed by. They must of been having on heck of a blast! Back then the ranger only patrolled the trail every 4 days, and you signed in/out of the approx 90mi trail loop. I was the only one signed in and White Crack is about 50 miles in. Talk about being alive!
ReplyDeleteWe were in Manti-La Sal National Forest, however we weren't in the La Sal Mountains but instead in the Abajo Mountains on the other side of the highway between Blanding and Monitcello but it was still a beautiful temperature.
DeleteI think we will have to come back again some day and explore more of that area and of the La Sal Mountains, definitely no shortage of places to boondock and hike or bike.
It is a shame that both Canyonlands and Arches National Parks were closed we would have loved to seen them both but even now, I think it would have been too hot to be able to do any good hiking, we would need to be there in April or early May or in the fall.
It is certainly the type of country for off-roading/jeeping, it sounds like you loved it there and maybe it is time for you to head back there again. :-)
Hopefully someday....but not too soon as I'm taking care of my 84 year old father who needs dialysis 3 days a week. Taking care of good parents, just dad left now, is truly a debt that can never truly be repaid in full...and then some.
DeleteI get that, I am sure your father is very happy to have you around to help. :-)
DeleteP.S. It's hard to explain these varying changes to family back east (Michigan), plus just the wide open space. I get a little claustrophobic when we visit in Michigan -- too many trees crowding around you. :)
ReplyDeleteYep, if somebody has never been out west then it would be hard to understand all this wide open space. We do however love trees and being in the trees especially if we are up in the mountains.
DeleteDefinitely. I find being able to see long distances to be very restful to the mind. A friend once wrote a song titles "I Just Want To See For A Hundred Miles."
DeleteTotally agree, it is something else to see far and wide!
DeleteLovely hike and bike ride. I envy you that location! Glad you are having a good time on your travels north and getting to see some of the best of these United States. :)
ReplyDeleteWe really enjoyed both the hike and the bike ride but the bike ride was definitely hard work. There were quite a few offshoots from the "main" road but many of them were a little to sandy for the bikes, even the main road had some very sandy sections, luckily not too many.
DeleteWe are having a great time and it is so easy to stay well away from people out here and there is no shortage of boondocking spots either. :-)
FIREWOOD-FREE!..Ha-ha I do the same thing... I ride around the campgrounds on my bike with a rack on the rear....I've found that you have to be quick, some of the C.G. hosts love to resell the firewood..I had one at Powell C.G. Idaho get really mad at me, I think she was losing it (mentally) camping with her 4 dogs and husband in a small rig for 4 months..
ReplyDeleteThey weren't there the next year.......She should have used her energy on my neighbors with drums and loud music-generators etc....Oh Well, I plan on being there next month..
I am sure we aren't the only ones doing that, lol! We have been doing that for years, even before we ever started RVing. :-)
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